Electric switch mechanism.



PATENTED MAR. F. C. NBWELL.

ELECTRIC SWITCH MEGHANISM. APPLIQATION FILED APR.4,1902.

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Unit; earns Parana* orrrcnl a FRANK e. NEWELL, or wiLKrNsBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, AssieNonrowEsr. monouso ELECTRIC .a MANUrAoTURiNeCOMPANY, A conronarion OF PENNSYLVANIA.

' Statecf Pennsylvania, have' invented certain new and useful improvements .in Electric Switch Mechanism, of which the fohowing 1s a specification My invention relates to electric switches Aand especia ly tomeans for making and y breaking contacts in conductors carrying heavy currents. Its primary objects are to provide a switch which will be quick-.and

- positive in its action, and yet capable* of great facility of manipulation, to avoidin jury to the contacting parts, and hold Xthe contacts together Vwhen the circuit is made without the loss of appreciable energy, arid which will, when the contact is broken, act b means of ya combination of magnetic fields to blow out the arc.

Further objects o my invention are to' provide mechanism whereby a main circuit f can beniade and broken by means of a pilot switch which mayV be located Vat some distance from said circuit; and to use the te1nporary ellectof very st iddenly reducing resista-nce to quicken the action of an electromagnet` and increase the rapidity of operationv of the switch. l

These objects'and other advantages which will hereinafter appear, l attain by nieansof apparatus which I have diagrainxnatically illustratedinavpreferred form in the accom-Y panying-drawing, wherein- Y, Figure l shows the apparatus applied to a swtch as I prefer to construct it, and

v Figure 2 isa diagrammatic illustration of the circuits, intended to make certain features and action of the improvement clear,l Referring in the iirst instance to Figure 2; l

i r.provide a source of current 3, in a main eir-l 45' l wire being marked 5, and being provided cuit with some form of translating. device 4, such forexample asla motor a lamp, or any other apparatus of lilrehind, the main circuit with' a main circuit switch 6. The main cir? I* sof y -what l Ashall for convenience call a pilot'cir# connections' 10 cuit includes two relatively movable contact terminals 7 and 8, which are oi soft' iron, and form cores of a solenoid coil 9. This is in cuit whichyincludes alsoA tl' i and high inductance coil i, the pilctcn'cuit Specifica-tion of Letters Patent. Application Sled April 4, 1902. Serial No.y 101,414.

siem-mo swl'rce-t meenemen.

` PatentedMarch l being; always in connection with coill 11; and also provided between pointes: and ywith a short-circuting pilot switch 12,in conductor 18. It serves the purpose oi short circuit-ing the high nductance coil 11 in the operation of the device, which will be hereinafter more particularly described. ln practice coil 11 is wound around the'terminals 7, 8,' or 13,:

the winding of c'oil 9, as there'shown.

As the pilot .switch 12 at no time has to carry any very large current, land as in "th breaking of the saine, as will herenafterappear, there is an inductive action setup in the circuit which tends to prerent anyv arcing at the switch, the said pilotswitch can be a ulated, and cheap to construct,vit beingV on y required that it shall Abe closed and opened positively, that is, withoutatreniulation or shaking. 'l i E' circuit au tomatic switch are constructed so as yto move toward and` away from each. other, beine; either one fixed and thei other. movable, or both 1novable',as preferred.' in the construction'shown in Figure i, i have indicated one of them as fired, andthe other relatively movable. i

Figure 2, is as follows:

Assuming that the main circuit has-a lfe-v sistance manyv tunes that yof the solenoidcoil `9, and the higher inductance coil 1.1', a resistance inuch gre at cr thanbotli of these together,

pilot circuit the 'heavy resistance, 'andfthus nais E and 8 tociose. the samel tinte-the sut-iden mcreasecf flow 1ny the wholamam very fine and delicate device, readily mani The movable terminals 74 and 8 'of the main circuit, including the coils Q, willjprodue.

14, in Figure 1;, and in@ directionopposedto The operation ofthe mechanism shown in now the pilot switch 12A be closed, this will f short circuit the'col 1l and out 'outljiof thesndden intense magnetization of the coils of- [OO produce a' largely increased current 'in' the r sclenoida coil 9, which will cause the termi-' continues totlow so long as they are held togather, which condition will be continued by i thus caused both by the mere increase oicurreliex impulse due to releasing the retarding is altered suddenly-,-it being understood and the pole 14D a 'south pole, while tho pole 13b Willbe normally a south pole, and Vpole 13a normally a. north pole.' Thus `pclarity`of 13 and 14a is alike, as also 13b `the solenoid coilQ, vsince there in'uch more '.'wire wound yaround the horse shoe magnet I @oies-than thereis in the solenoitlal coil, and

here shown, l 'have ormedvthe main switch vits Contact block 16 beingi'elatively movable,

the solenoid 9 and pullthe cores 7 and e `together with great viole nce". malt-ing a lirm and. secure` contact with great rapidity 'u The two' main contacts 7 antl having thus 'o'eenbitought together, there is immediately set up through them the main current, which.

the Very small amount ,ol' current still continuing to How in the solenoidal coil as well as by 'the residual magnetism in the cores. The closingof the magnetic terminals 7, 8, is

rent in coil 9- due to cutting out resistance 11 from the circuit, and also uickened by the influence of coil 11.Wh en the'resistance to flow that a disturbance in the normal iowcauses a vibratory inductance-inthe magnetizing coils and certain reactionary-effects in the magnet cores which will cause their attraction to increase suddenly instead of building' up slowly as would be the case if current were merely introducedto the coils tending to pull them together, I

Considering now Figure 1,.it will be, seen that in Aarranging the automatic apparatus terminals in the shape of horse shoe magnets 13 and '14 and between their poles 13, 13b,A and 14", and`14b, are two contact blocks 15 and 16, preferably made of brass, and loosely carried thereon so as l,to maire contact Without the actuating magnets actually touching eachother.' Themagnet I13 with its contact 15 being stationary, and the magnet 14 with and preferably mounted so as to give slightly and make a close contact; the miwement of the magnet coil. being longitudinal through the magnetic casingv 17 which incloses the apparatus. The high resi-stance coil 11 in this Figure 1 is disposed about the horse shoe magnet so that the winding will -tend when not short circuited to p'roduce a like polarity of' opposing. oles of the magnet so as to produce a repelllzintuaftion between the poles opposite to each ot er. "The winding of thee coils lliis thus disposed. so'thet the horse shoe magnets-when the current is normally flowing through the high resistance coils, the pole 14, for example, will be a north pole,

the the .andllll and terewill be strong repellent action tending tol hold "the contacts apart. During Ithisytinie the repellent forces of the' poles ofthe magnets will be .very much in excess. ofthe polarization ell'ect produced by masso since the several coils are in series the 'current intensity or flow is the samein both. rhe casing 17 reduces the reluctai'ice of the device by v,completing the magnetic current when the two-terminals are in contact.

The operation of the device shown in Figure 1 is similar to that shownin Figure 2, but also embodies in addition the results attained by wthe peculiar arrangement oi' the horse shoe "magnets, and the polarity thereof produced by the winding voi' the lligh resistance coils. The closing of the :terminals is ellected as before described in the apparatus oi Figure/2. To separate the main termi-nais 7 and 8 the pilot switch 12 is opened so as to break the short circuit around the high resistance coils, which brings'the said coils into operation again, and roduces the` horseshoe magnet actionl already described, which immediately causes intense magnetization oithe horse shoe magnets, which, as already exr plaine d, have their opposite poles of like polarity, and this being oi muchr greater -force than the magnetic el'ect produced through the solencidal coil alone, entirely overcomes the action oi the solenoiflal coil, and acts upon the terminals 7 and 8 to drive them apart with groeten violence, breaking the circuit quickly, and at the same time creating a magnctijlux which blows out the arc, so far as any arc may be pro-duced, by the magnetic flow across the arc path. Thus the magnetization creates a magnetic field flowing in substantially live litl'erent paths which all tend to 'intercept the arc which 'may be produced. between the terminals 15 and 16, that is aniagnetic I'iux from la to 14?, one from 13 `to 13b, onelfrom 13a toll, oneiirom 14" to 13b, and one substantially straight across. This produces magnetic lines of force in a direction transverse to the direction, of the are, which tend to blow out any arc. i

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what i claim as new, and desirel 1go-secure by' Letters Patient', is the iol! lowing: l 1. The combination with a pair ot' se Jarablc Contact terminalshaving magnetiza le ymrts, of an enerrizing Winding vfor holding said contact termina-isili engagement, a second Y winding-,fof stronger force adapted 'to separate thong-and a shuntnnd switch for shunting outlthe. more powerful Winding to l allow the' terminals to come together.

'2. The,com-tunat with a pair oi' separoble contactv terminals having magnetizable parts, ot an energizing winding for holding said Contact terminalsv in engagement, a second winding adapted to separate them, and v,a shunt and switch for shunting out the sec.- ond wiiiilingto allori7 the terminals to come together. l

'The combination with a pair o sepaa .isble contact terminals having'magnetizabie parts, of awin'ding .around terminals:

tending to linagnetize them to' attract them together, a high resistance windingv in circuit with said rst winding and tending to keepv the magnetism below the .strength 4at which the terminals will be brought together,

and a shunt and pilot switch forshuntmg out the h'i'h resistance winding.`

4, .'he combination' with a pair of separable contact terminals 'having magnetizable parts, of 4an energizing winding forl holding said contact terminals in enga ement, a second winding adapted when ful y energized to separate the contact terminals, and means ,5

for deneigizingl fsaid secbndwinding lto a strength less than 'thator' they rst winding to permit 'therstwinding to actua-te the ter- I y minals;A

5.5. The combination with a vpair of sep-ara bley contact terminals having magnetizab'le l parts, of an energizing winding for holding v.said contact terminals in engagement, a secf ond stronge'r'winding adapted when energized to separate said pontact terminals, and

means for deiergizing ,said second stronger'. winding to 'a 'strength less than that of the first winding to permit thefirst winding to actuate the terminals.

'6. The combination ol a main circuit,

main-circuit terminals comprising parts of tlre core of a solenoid, the solenoid around said terminals being attached to the niain circuitand being in 'series with a pilotv circuit, a higher resistance coil in said pilot circuit, a shunt for said high resistance coil and a switch for opening and closing the said shunt circuit. A

7. The combination with two relatively movable terminals, of a main ,circuit with a solenoid'surrounding said terminals wound I to secure unlike polarity at. the terminals, a

oid and to the niain circuit and wound to sehigh resistance coil connecting to said solencure like polarity oi the terminals," and al shunt with a switch therein whereby the curf rent throjigh the high resistance coil may be reduced 'order to increase the current in the solenoid to draw said terminals together'.

8. .The combination oi two relatively movable terminals comprising contact blocksv and horse shoe magnets surrounding the fsame, a solenoid surrounding both ci said magnets as a whole and wound to secure une like polarity of the terminals, high'resistance coils wound u on each legof said horse shoe magnet in suc away as to secure'like polar- .ity of the terminals, and a shunt and switch out the" supplemental coil whereby to inthe terminals; v i

10. Thel combination with apair of se' rable contact terminals having magnetiza le parts, ofa winding'to-cause them to be attracted toward-eachother to close the circuit,

a stronger winding adapted to hold the ter minal's apart, and means to shunt out this latter coil.. l Y

11. The combination with a pair of se arable contact terminals having magnetiza le parts, of electric coils on thel terminals adapted to magnetize them for attraction and other supplemental electric coils thereon .adaptedto magnetize them for repulsion,

whereby the terminals are closed or opened by `decreasing or increasing the current in said supplemental coils,

' In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK C NEWELL In'presence o- R. F. EMERY, PAUL Simians'rviinfr.,`

*crease the current in the iirst coil and close 

